Merger of St. Louis City and County Moves a Step Closer
Maybe it's not such a pipe dream, after all.
Yesterday, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley publicly announced that he'd be willing to merge the county and the city. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay first suggested the same over a year ago.
A merger would hopefully benefit the entire regional economy while also cutting down on duplicate government services. It could also help boost the city's deplorable school district. Still, chances are slim that the county's 91 municipalities would want to give up control of their fiefdoms to make the proposal work.
Ironically, it was city residents who championed splitting the city from the county back in 1876. At the time, the county was the poorer of the two regions and the city slickers were tired of subsidizing their county bumpkin brethren.
Yesterday, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley publicly announced that he'd be willing to merge the county and the city. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay first suggested the same over a year ago.
A merger would hopefully benefit the entire regional economy while also cutting down on duplicate government services. It could also help boost the city's deplorable school district. Still, chances are slim that the county's 91 municipalities would want to give up control of their fiefdoms to make the proposal work.
Ironically, it was city residents who championed splitting the city from the county back in 1876. At the time, the county was the poorer of the two regions and the city slickers were tired of subsidizing their county bumpkin brethren.
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